Posted: Jan 21, 2016

Storm grapplers set for IIAC Duals in Cedar Rapids

The Simpson wrestling team travels to Cedar Rapids, Iowa on Saturday, Jan. 23 for the Iowa Conference Duals hosted by Coe. Simpson will face No. 12 Luther, unranked Loras and No. 14 Coe.

Schedule
9 a.m. - Simpson vs. #12 Luther
11 a.m. - Simpson vs. Loras
1 p.m. - Simpson vs. #14 Coe

Live Coverage
Video (Coe dual): CoeAthletics.com
Results: TrackWrestling.com

Last time out
Jason Kiehne took sixth place at 141 pounds and Colby Vlieger came in seventh at 285 as Simpson placed 12th of 16 teams at Cornell's Matman Invitational on Saturday, Jan. 16. The Storm's last dual was a 25-15 setback against Dubuque on Jan. 5.

Projected Lineup (complete season stats)
125 - Chase Erickson (0-9)
133 - Cannon Trester (3-9)
141 - Jason Kiehne (9-8)
149 - Jacob Mize (11-8) or Anthony Derrick (1-10)
157 - Jason Clark (11-8)
165 - Shane Swank (9-8) or RJ Brown (8-10)
174 - Spencer Ward (5-16)
184 - Brett Roberts (18-4)
197 - Damon Piatt (3-11)
285 - Colby Vlieger (15-14)

A look at Luther
The 12th-ranked Norse are 7-5 overall and 0-1 in the Iowa Conference, their lone conference loss coming to top-ranked Wartburg, 27-9 on Jan. 15. Luther's lineup features three wrestlers ranked in the NWCA top 10, including No. 1-ranked 141-pounder, Drew Van Anrooy. Van Anrooy is 10-0 on the season. Justin Kreiter (15-5) is ranked seventh at 184 pounds and Nick Scheffert (13-6) is ranked 10th at 133. Simpson is 12-26-2 all-time against Luther.

A look at Loras
Unranked Loras is 0-8 overall and 0-1 in the Iowa Conference, its lone league dual a 31-8 setback against Central on Jan. 14. The Duhakw lineup is without a wrestler ranked in the latest NWCA rankings. Simpson is 14-24 all-time against Loras.

A look at Coe
The 14th-ranked Kohawks are 8-3 overall and 2-0 in the Iowa Conference thanks to wins over Central (19-18 on Nov. 19) and Buena Vista (44-0 on Dec. 2.). Coe's lineup features two wrestlers ranked No. 1 in the latest NWCA rankings. Farai Sewera is the top wrestler in the nation at 165 pounds, posting a 20-2 record. Ryan Harrington is first in Division III at 174 pounds, going 17-1. Simpson is 12-17-1 all-time against Coe.

STORM STORYLINES

Roberts looks to make a statement
Senior 184-pounder Brett Roberts has been ranked as high as No. 8 in the NWCA rankings but comes into the weekend unranked. The senior is 18-4 on the season and 2-0 in the IIAC. He has a big challenge to start the day when he faces Luther's Justin Kreiter, ranked No. 7 at 184.

Storm look to snap IIAC Dual streak
The IIAC Dual format hasn't been kind to the Storm in recent years. Simpson's last win in the IIAC duals come in 2007 when the Storm beat Dubuque 32-16.

Storm looking for first conference win
Competing in the best conference in all of Division III isn't easy, but Simpson is proving it can compete with some of the best teams in the nation. The Storm posted an IIAC win over Buena Vista last season and come into the weekend 0-2 with losses to No. 1 Wartburg (49-6 on Nov. 18) and Dubuque (25-15 on Jan. 5).

Youth movement
Simpson's young lineup will feature six probable wrestlers who are either freshmen or sophomores. Only two wrestlers set to take the mat Saturday - Brett Roberts and Spencer Ward - are seniors.

Up next
Simpson goes to the Duhawk Open in Dubuque on Saturday, Jan. 30.

The coach
A former NCAA Division III national champion and Division I assistant, Nate Hansen is in his fourth season at Simpson. Hansen is 13-45 overall and is coming off Simpson's best dual record in nine seasons, when the Storm went 7-11 in 2014-15.